An ABC Adventure: Arizona, Bones, Cabin

The dirt washboard road leading to the cabin was as ripped as a body builder’s abs. One and a half miles of chassis-wrenching, 2-miles per hour crawling brought me to Kendrick Cabin, and a cold beer with friends. Soon we all became amateur sleuths, speculating about the types of animals

represented by a collection of bones left on the cabin’s window sill. While most adult opinions leaned toward a horse, perhaps a draft horse, the kids were holding out for something more prehistoric. A steak dinner, cooked cowboy style outdoors, and simple western hospitality around a picture-perfect fire ring rounded out a most magnificent day in Northern Arizona.

Bodies were strewn all over the cabin as we bunked down for the night. Following the can’t-be-beat bacon and eggs breakfast over the campfire, I left my friends and continued to the Grand Canyon for another adventure.

The Kendrick Cabin is located off AZ Route 180, about 20 miles north of Flagstaff, and about 60 miles from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The masonry and wood 3-bedroom cabin is only a half century old, but evokes lore of lonely living from Western America’s earlier days. The vistas are sweeping and the high plateau is surrounded by the world’s largest Ponderosa pine forest. Magnificent views of the San Francisco Peaks, Mount Eldon, and Kendrick Mountain are seen from every window.

Kendrick Cabin is one of about a dozen such rustic structures in the most beautiful landscapes of Arizona, with some of historical importance and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been made available for public use through the Coconino National Forest offices.

Thanks for the Reminder

Ray, another great report, in both words and pictures. And a great reminder, as if one were needed, that our National Forests are so much more than just a bunch of trees. Although they hardly ever get mentioned on anyone's list of so-called "must sees" they are a national treasure nonetheless.